According to documents reviewed by Bloomberg, TikTok intends to launch a monthlong campaign starting in late October, offering significant holiday discounts. The popular social media platform aims to attract consumers who have been affected by inflation to its newly established online marketplace, initiating a price competition with well-established rivals such as Amazon.com Inc. and Walmart Inc. TikTok, owned by Beijing-based ByteDance Ltd., will host training sessions next week with merchants selling on its marketplace. According to the documents, it offers to support discounts of up to 50% to entice sellers…

In reference to TikTok, former Vice President Mike Pence has urged for a ban in the United States, asserting that the platform enables the Chinese government to clandestinely gather data on American citizens. “We should ban TikTok. TikTok is a platform for the Chinese Communist government. They are collecting data on Americans every single day,” Pence said Friday in an interview with Bloomberg Television. “Young Americans need to know that their privacy is at risk.” Pence’s comments come ahead of a policy speech he will give on China on Monday.…

After a meeting with TikTok’s CEO Shou Zi Chew, the President of Kenya announced that the popular social media platform has agreed to regulate the content shared on its platform in the East African nation. The announcement follows an initiative by the country’s parliament last week to investigate the use of TikTok after receiving a petition calling for it to be banned for “promoting violence, overt sexual content, hate speech, vulgar language and offensive behaviour”. “This new development means that inappropriate or offensive content will be removed from the platform,”…

TikTok is reportedly planning to ban links to third-party e-commerce sites like Amazon as it ramps up the shopping platform in the US. The change is seen as an attempt to force people to use the TikTok Shop if they want to buy a product they see in the application, says The Information. According to the report, TikTok Shop will lose more than $500 million in the US this year. “TikTok Shop, the app’s nascent shopping service, is expected to lose more than $500 million in the US this year,”…

New York City banned TikTok on government-owned devices on Wednesday, citing security concerns, joining several U.S. cities and states that have imposed such restrictions on the short video-sharing app. TikTok, which is used by more than 150 million Americans and is owned by Chinese tech giant ByteDance, has faced increasing demands from US lawmakers for a nationwide ban over concerns about potential influence from the Chinese government. TikTok “posed a security threat to the city’s technical networks,” New York Mayor Eric Adams’ administration said in a statement. New York City…

In front of a green-screened image depicting a bedroom illuminated by pink fluorescent lights, a woman wearing an ash-blond wavy wig energetically bounces with a robotic demeanor. She appears slightly breathless but maintains a smile as she captivates thousands of viewers on TikTok through their mobile phones. Suddenly, a small cartoon hot dog pops up on the screen, catching everyone’s attention. “Thanks for the glossy. Bing bong,” Crystal Alana Bennett says to a fan who had just spent 7 cents to send her a virtual bauble known as a “glizzy”…

Luxury sedans are not receiving much attention in the current automotive landscape, as they are being phased out to accommodate the growing demand for SUVs. However, Mercedes-Benz remains committed to producing high-end sedans, with the E-Class being one of their enduring models. For the 2024 E-Class, Mercedes-Benz hasn’t radically reinvented this stoic sedan, giving it a refreshed look and new, more powerful engines with hybrid power. But more interestingly, the new E is full of interesting technical tricks and toys that, at least for now, can only be found in…